Apple has so far launched all its Macs with an M1 chip. Now, a new report claims that the next-generation M2 processor destined for future Macs has gone into mass production.

The report from Nikkei Asia claims that Apple could start receiving shipments of the new chips as early as July. The new M2 processor will likely make its way into future MacBooks, which are due for a refresh in the second half of this year. Apple will eventually also use the M2 chip in other Macs.

TSMC is producing the M2 chip on its N5P or 5nm+ fabrication. Reportedly, producing such chips takes at least three months. While Apple’s M1 chip offers better performance than the Intel CPUs it has used in its Macs, the M1 chip’s performance does fall behind high-end Intel CPUs with 6 or 8-cores. The M2 chip could rival high-end Intel CPUs with its performance thereby allowing Apple to use them in its upcoming 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

Apart from the Mac mini, MacBook Air, and new 24-inch iMac, Apple is also using its M1 chip inside the 2021 iPad Pro. Apple’s M1 chip has managed to set a new benchmark in terms of performance and efficiency, but it has certain limitations as well. None of the M1 Macs can be configured with more than 16GB RAM. They are also limited to supporting only one external monitor. It is likely that the next-generation M2 chip will solve all such issues as only then Apple will be closer to replacing Intel-based Macs from its lineup.